Customer Reviews

Companions (Laws of the Blood, Book 3 )

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just when I despaired of ever finding anything to take care of my "vampire fix" that had a strong heroine ready to kick butt (like my favorite Anita Blake), I ran across Laws of the Blood: Companions by Susan Sizemore. What a treat and what a story for a newcomer to this genre of writing such as myself.

Selena Crawford is a homicide detective for the Chicago Police Department. She's tough, she's strong, and she's a regular Amazon. Selena doesn't take anything off anyone except...of course there has to be an exception in this story. It seems that two years earlier, Selena got in a bit of bind when vampires surrounded her and were about to do away with her. To her rescue came our hero, Istvan. Istvan, or Steve, as Selena calls him is the enforcer. He makes sure all the vampires obey their written code or set of laws. In order for Steve to save Selena, he ends up making her his "companion." The last thing Steve wants is a "companion." It ranks right up there with being married. According to vampire law, a companion is a vampire's property. They may do with their companions, as they will. There is one little problem though, Selena chooses to do what she wants, not necessarily what Steve wants. In order to keep from driving each other insane, Steve and Selena see each other as little as possible.

Then someone begins killing vampires and leaving their bodies out for the police to find. Selena is naturally called in to investigate. If having dead vampires to deal with wasn't enough to deal with, Selena finds her family sheltering one, and Steve just casually dropping in for a visit. Selena is also secretly talking to other companions on the internet about the way they are treated. This has to be done secretly, or they could all pay the price.

I am so glad I found this book. The characters are dynamite, the dialogue is snappy and there is plenty of action. Yes, for you who enjoy a little romance and hot sex, there is plenty of that also. It is my understanding that this is the third book in a series of five. While the storyline continues, the characters don't necessarily show up in each book. I'm impressed enough that I've order the first two (...). For me, if this book is any indication of the two previous books and the two forth-coming books, I'm in for the long run.

Istvan was born a dhampire, having been the issue of a vampire father and a mortal mother. When he grew into his powers he became a ferocious vampire hunter killing as many of them as he could. He was turned into a vampire against his will, which made him hate vampires even more. For the next five hundred years he became the Vampire Council's chief enforcer, a lone wolf who let no one get close to him.

In modern day Chicago, he met his soul mate, Selena Crawford and they exchanged blood making her his companion. Not wanting anyone to get too close to him, he left her alone for two years until unsanctioned vampire killings brought them back together. When the killer is brought to justice, Istvan intends to walk away but he doesn't realize that Selena has some powers of her own.

LAWS OF THE BLOOD: COMPANIONS is a juicy and tasty novel that whets the appetite for more works in this dynamite series. Susan Sizemore has created a believable new universe of the supernatural set in modern day America that will appeal to readers who like the works of Laurell K Hamilton and Tonya Huff. This supernatural romantic thriller is guaranteed to leave the reader hungering for the next work in this series.

Harriet Klausner

Other reviewers have given the plot synopsis, so I'll just say that if you're a fan of both vampire and mystery genres, you'll like the books in this series. The stories are well-written and the characters have depth to them.

All of the books in the Laws of the Blood series are stand-alones, but the previous two made mention of Istvan, the Enforcer of the Enforcers, always speaking of him in tones of dread. This is Istvan's story and it was interesting to read his point of view. What also made this book enjoyable was the fact that his companion is a strong person in her own right, and is not too happy to find herself in the role of companion. This book also brought back some characters from the previous books, so it was nice to get the update on their stories.

This has to be my favorite of the series so far! "Laws of the Blood: Companions" is a great read! Selena Crawford is a Chicago Homicide Detective, she is also a non-magical member of a gypse family, she also happens to be the personal property of the head Enforcer in the USA. "Steve" and Selena rub each other the wrong way...well maybe its the right way all the time, when their not fighting of course.

Vampire Politics mingled with the possibility of an extreamly rare pregnacy make for a wonderfully twisted and exciting read! It is Definately Worth reading this book and this series!...

I picked up Companion early last week, and enjoyed it. However, at all points during the book I wondered if it wouldn't have helped me to have read The Hunt or Partners first.
Ms. Sizemore does not do a good job of explaining the premise of the book. She sometimes writes in vamprish,like spanlish, in which a reader who is not familiar with the subject matter is left wondering what the words they did not understand meant. If this is your first book in the series, you will probably be as I was, confused.

The first two books in Susan Sizemore's Laws of the Blood series are quite good, but Companions is really something special. The dual protagonists are as dynamic as they are fascinating, the expanded commentary on Sizemore's unique fictional universe of vampires and companions is impressive and illuminating, and the action-packed storyline is a true page-turner. Mention of Istvan has been made in the previous books - whispers of his unparalleled prowess among the Enforcers of the vampire laws - and I must say he lives up to his reputation in spades. In Companions, we learn his remarkable story, but even Istvan, with all of his might, wisdom, and power, pales somewhat in comparison to Selena, the most unusual of vampire companions.

Istvan is a dhampir born over five centuries ago - he actually worked for Count Dracula for awhile. He hates vampires and has killed many over the centuries; even though he was turned into a vampire himself (a dangerous mistake rectified in the laws soon thereafter - there is no more formidable vampire killer than a dhampir who has been turned) and works ceaselessly to defend vampire law, he has always kept himself apart from a traditional vampire lifestyle. That includes the taking of a companion, a practice virtually all vampires engage in. A bit of deception, though, brought him together with Selena Crawford two years earlier; he has fought the bloodbond that was forged between the two, however, and pretty much left Selena alone. She herself both hates and likes the situation; while she wants nothing to do with Istvan, the bloodbond is a powerful force that cannot be defeated by even the strongest of personalities - and Selena happens to have one of the strongest personalities you will ever encounter.

Now, Enforcer and companion are brought together once again, however, in the search for a vampire killer roaming the streets of Chicago. Selena is a homicide detective, but she knows that a beheaded vampire dumped in an alley falls under a very different jurisdiction than her own. While the local enforcer Ariel and eventually Istvan take over the "case," Selena does plenty of work on her own, identifying the killer and, blaming a particularly despicable vampire for indirectly causing all the trouble, takes the initiative to do something about the evil perp. Companions are not supposed to even know of each other's existence across the different cities of the world, yet there is a cybersecret support group for them, and this connection with others like herself provides Selena the support she needs to stage a mini-revolution among the ranks. In essence, she takes on the role of Enforcer among vampire companions.

The story of the killings and the thrilling conclusion of events makes for an engaging read, but it is the relationship between Istvan and Selena that makes this book such a triumph. Selena does not act like a companion; while the heat of the bloodbond keeps driving her and Istvan together in the most physical of ways, she refuses to fawn upon him or allow his actions to go unchallenged. This both antagonizes as well as delights the chief Enforcer of them all. Their sporadic relationship is remarkably human in several ways, boasting the kind of give-and-take you won't find elsewhere in the vampire world. Heck, she even tries to kill Istvan a couple of times, and that is something companions are really not supposed to do. You'll find a lot of humor in these pages alongside plenty of vampire action, but the heart and soul of Companions is the amazingly nontraditional relationship between vampire and companion. If you are tired of the same old vampire plots of old, you would do well to give Susan Sizemore a chance to impress you with her increasingly beguiling reworking of the vampire myth.

The last 2-3 vampire books I read were cheesy. Glad to find one that lives up to my expectations. The author didn't fill up space with babble (which I hate by the way). I really liked the characters and plot. I really can't find anything negative about it.

I have alot of books and some I keep and some I eventually pass along..this is on my keep always shelf in my bookcase!!!

Ms Sizemore writes well and has strong characters. I feel the storyline and dialogue flows really well too!!

I highly recommend this to any that like modern vampire tales!!

While I enjoyed the first two books in the series, I found them a bit confusing at times. Companions however is clear and easy to follow. The characters, the mythology, work on several levels. I look forward to more.

This is the third in a series of vampire stories that focus on enforcers, a vampire form that specializes in carrying out the laws of the vampire council. Enforcers are special, with additional powers and strengths that aid them in a job which often involves the control and killing of other kindred. In one other way are enforcers notable. Their natural food is not us humans, but the vampires that feed on us. They are the stuff that vampire nightmares are made of.

Each volume in the series focuses on some aspect of the special underworld Susan Sizemore is constructing. "Companions" is about the humans who are part of the vampire world. Theoretically better than slaves, in most cases there is little to tell of the difference between them. Like slaves, companions are the vampire's property; the companion's special position comes from having drunk their master's blood. Eventually, if they survive, they will be made into vampires. But the vampires powers and the influence of the blood bond turns most of them into little more than obedient servitors, completely subject to their vampire's will.

There are exceptions, though. Selena Crawford, a homicide detective in Chicago, is such. Two years previous to this book she came into contact with Istvan, a 500 year old enforcer. Istvan is not just an enforcer, but a dhampire, child of a human and a vampire, making him such a deadly threat that the vampire council has banned making such a vampire ever again. Tricked into bonding with Selena, Istvan is an unwilling master. And Selena, part Gypsy, has no intention of being a willing servant. To avoid perpetual conflict they have been separate for the last two years, ignoring the blood bond to maintain independence.

Not unexpectedly, the two protectors of different laws are doomed to confront each other again. Istvan is dispatched by the council to look into the murder of a vampire in Chicago, and Selena is assigned the same case. Other than enforcers, vampires cannot kill vampires (or so it is said). Even for those who know how, killing a vampire is a difficult task. But in a very short period of time two identical killings occur, and the same chainsaw used to dispatch the two vampires is used to cut of the arm of a third. Istvan and Serena switch from conflict to love to detection and back again repeatedly as they pursue a trail that leads to Denver and then into the eerie world of vampire politics.

Istvan (usually called Steve, nowadays) is your basic super vampire, and his character development is sufficient, but not overwhelming. His casual sarcastic style is entertaining, but he lacks the depths of Serena's personality. She is not only a detective and a companion, but witch and gypsy as well. The Bailey's of Chicago were touched by magic long before coming to America. Led now by Aunt Caetlyn, Serena's godmother, a spellcaster, and a fine vampire healer as well. With a background like this it is no surprise that Serena's personality strikes sparks.

Sizemore has created an online support group for companions, which is a thoroughly novel idea in vampire fiction. Indeed, this may be the first vampire tale where surfing the net plays an important part (besides Buffy).

While there are some connections between "Companions" and other parts of the series (primarily with "The Hunt"), calling this is a series is still a bit of a misnomer. The books in this set are completely independent tales. This is the first volume with crossover characters (Siri, Yevgeny and Jebel Haven). Yet these characters still only put in guest appearances, albeit important ones. But one can see how the books are beginning to come together, and there is much promise for the future.